Vol. 116, No. 20, May 21, 1993. 8 pages. View this issue
Discrimination against Asian Americans ran through this eight-page issue. JACL applauded a Department of Education finding that Connecticut’s higher education board excluded Asian Americans and Native Americans from a minority program. Gwen Muranaka reported on Sandra Tanamachi-Nakata’s campaign to change Jap Road in Beaumont and Jap Lane in Vidor, Texas, and a second story covered a radio host who defended the names. Cal Poly Pomona’s plan for the Michi Nishiura-Walter Weglyn Endowed Chair for Multicultural Studies also made the front page.
In the commentary pages, Paul Igasaki argued for gay rights as civil rights, and Bill Hosokawa revisited the 1959 restoration of citizenship to Nisei who had renounced it. Elsewhere are a review of Frank Fujita’s wartime memoir, news of a hate crimes guide in several languages, a new Pacific Southwest U.S.-Japan committee, and a Midwest speech contest for students.
What’s in this issue
National
- JACL Supports DOE Report on Connecticut Discrimination Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Education found that the Connecticut Board of Governors for Higher Education discriminated against Asian Americans and Native Americans by excluding them from a minority employment program. JACL applauded the finding, which cited violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
- Murder Cases Come to Trial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rodney Peairs went on trial in Baton Rouge for the manslaughter of Japanese exchange student Yoshihiro Hattori, shot after a Halloween mix-up, a case that drew intense attention in Japan. Separately, jury selection began in Arizona for Jonathan Doody, accused of murdering nine people at a Thai Buddhist temple.
- National Asian American Group Organized; First Fellowship Award Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium officially launched in Washington, D.C., formed by three regional Asian American legal organizations to pursue litigation, advocacy and policy development. Jayasri Paul was named the group’s first national legal fellow, tasked with researching issues like anti-Asian violence.
- Hate Crimes Guide Now Out in Other Languages, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The State Bar of California has translated its pamphlet ‘What Should I Know About Hate Crimes?’ into Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese in addition to English. The guide answers questions about reporting hate crimes and legal options for victims amid rising hate crime numbers in California.
Community
- University to Establish Michi-Walter Weglyn Chair, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Cal Poly Pomona will establish the Michi Nishiura-Walter Weglyn Endowed Chair for Multicultural Studies, with author Michi Weglyn receiving an honorary doctorate. The Weglyns are honored as defenders of human rights, with Michi’s family interned at Gila River and her husband a Holocaust survivor.
- Changing Jap Rd. Sign Is a Tough Battle in Texas Towns, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. Sandra Tanamachi-Nakata has fought since 1992 to change the names of Jap Road in Beaumont and Jap Lane in Vidor, Texas, gaining support from the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division but facing local resistance. A radio talk show host and local residents defended keeping the names, while Tanamachi-Nakata described threats and isolation in her campaign.
- On Discrimination, Radio Show Talk Is Cheap, by P.C. Staff, page 1. KLVI-AM radio host Al Caldwell defended use of the term ‘Jap’ in referring to Jap Road in Beaumont, Texas, sparking criticism from activist Sandra Tanamachi-Nakata. Caldwell argued economic and historical justifications for keeping the name despite objections that it constitutes a racial slur.
- Personally Speaking, by From Ed Suguro and Masako Kobayashi, page 5. This roundup profiles Dr. John Kobayashi, Washington state’s chief epidemiologist who led the E. coli outbreak investigation, and Sig Murakami, an Ontario, Oregon onion farmer honored as 1992 Businessman of the Year. Both men’s backgrounds and community contributions are highlighted.
- Court Appointments and Appeals, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Judge Nathan Mihara was appointed to California’s 6th district court of appeals, while U.S. District Judge Robert Takasugi presided over the Thomas Spiegel Columbia Savings case in Los Angeles. In Hawaii, Riki Mae Amano became the first woman sworn in as a circuit court judge on the Neighbor Islands since the war.
- Personally Speaking (Continued), by P.C. Staff, page 7. Prof. Lawrence Mamiya, a Sansei scholar of black churches in America at Vassar College, is profiled for his research and acceptance within the Black community despite being a non-Black faculty member. Additional items cover an Asian American elected to the Montgomery County board of education and Seattle official Mayumi Tateuka wa’s resignation.
JACL
- PSW Forms U.S.-Japan Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Pacific Southwest District of JACL formed a new U.S.-Japan Relations Committee to address the impact of U.S.-Japan relations on Japanese Americans’ civil rights. The committee, chaired by Ed Mitoma, will hold its next meeting June 19 in Little Tokyo to establish a mission statement and goals.
- MDC Sponsors Speech Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Midwest District Council of JACL will sponsor an oratorical speech contest at the tri-district conference in Cleveland, Ohio, for high school and college students. Topics include growing up Asian American and the value of civil rights organizations like JACL.
Arts & Entertainment
- A Unique Nisei War Story, by H.E.H., page 3. A review of Frank Fujita’s memoir ‘Foo: A Japanese American Prisoner of the Rising Sun,’ detailing his experience as one of only two Nisei GIs captured by the Japanese in WWII. The book chronicles his capture in Java, POW camp treatment, and forced participation in Tokyo Rose broadcasts.
Commentary
- Real Reasons for Renouncing, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa revisits a 1959 Department of Justice ceremony marking the restoration of citizenship to over 5,000 Nisei who had renounced it during WWII, highlighting remarks by Dean Eugene Rostow and Edward Ennis on the injustice of the Evacuation. He notes that many renunciants were minors who had no real choice but to remain with non-citizen parents seeking repatriation.
- Standing Up for Gay Rights, by Paul Igasaki, page 6. Igasaki responds to Bill Marutani’s column questioning gay rights, arguing that sexual orientation deserves the same civil rights protections as race or ethnicity. He draws parallels between the fight for gay rights and the Japanese American redress movement, urging JACL to support a federal civil rights law protecting gays and lesbians.
- Voices, by Paul Igasaki, page 7. Continuing his argument from page 6, Igasaki writes that prejudice ultimately harms everyone and that debating who is the ‘greatest victim’ is self-defeating. He calls for solidarity across civil rights movements, honoring the legacy of gay rights advocate Harvey Milk.
Sports
- Kajikawa and Yonamine Honored for Athletic Achievements, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Arizona State professor emeritus William Kajikawa was named a 1993 History-Maker by the Arizona Historical League for his decades of coaching and athletic career. Wally Yonamine, a Maui-born former 49ers player, was profiled in a Hawaii TV special for his pioneering career in Japanese professional baseball.
Obituaries
- Harry Kobayashi, Maui Supervisor and WWII Veteran, Dies at 69, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Harry Kobayashi, a longtime Maui supervisor and 442nd/MIS veteran who entered politics through his brother-in-law Spark Matsunaga, died March 15 in Wailuku. He is survived by his wife Mabel, three sons, his mother, and several siblings.
- Albert Kushihashi, MIS Veteran and Community Volunteer, Dies at 77, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Albert Kushihashi, an Omaha-born MIS veteran and Civil Air Patrol captain, died Jan. 30 in Denver after decades of volunteer service and recognition including a KETV ‘Nine Who Care’ award. His aging mother predeceased him by only 132 days.
- Tsuneichi Yamamoto, Former Hawaii Hochi President, Dies at 92, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Tsuneichi Yamamoto, former president and general manager of the Hawaii Hochi newspaper, died March 22 in Honolulu. An Okayama-born journalist since 1919, he was among 2,000 Issei from Hawaii interned in a WWII mainland camp and edited a commemorative book for Honolulu’s Japanese Chamber of Commerce.
- Hiroshi Muramoto, University of Arizona Plant Scientist, Dies at 70, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Hiroshi Muramoto, a Hilo-born plant scientist who bred a new cotton strain to prevent brown-lung disease in textile workers, died of a heart attack March 14 in Tucson. He was a University of Arizona faculty member for 30 years.
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